Chapter Four: Bad Day

A skull crushing headache was never a good thing to have as soon as you wake up, but that's exactly what I had. I opened my eyes to find that I couldn't see anything; I could just feel some kind of cloth bag covering my face. In addition, my wrists and ankles seemed to be bound.

I strained my ears, trying to hear anything I could. There was a faint sound of muffled voices, but I couldn't make out what was being said.

"Hello!?" I yelled. "Is someone there?"

The voices stopped, and then there was the sound of a door opening.

"Well, looks like someone finally decided to wake up." A voice said.

"For a while, we thought you were never gonna wake up." A second voice said sarcastically. This was the same man that had spoken to me in the forest.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" I asked.

"Well, we mostly just wanted your Pokémon, your money, all your items, and anything else you might have had that could be considered valuable. But the boss suggested that anyone we mug should probably be brought back here, just so there are no police reports, you get me?" The first voice said.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa wait a minute! So when are you gonna let me go?!" I asked, panicked.

"Mmm, I reckon we'll let you go once we have control of the region." The second voice said in mock thoughtfulness.

"And when will that be?!" Now I was really starting to panic.

"Eh, probably in another few years, assuming things go according to plan, that is." The first voice said.

Well isn't this just my luck, I'm out on my adventure for two days, and all of a sudden I find myself kidnapped and in a position to be killed at any time or be left to starve to death!

"Well, not that this isn't fun, kid, but we really should be getting back to work."

"Wait! Isn't there any way that you'll let me out of here!?" I asked.

"Not really, especially since the boss told us specifically that we shouldn't let you go."

"Could I talk to your boss? Maybe I could convince him otherwise!"

"Mmmm, I highly doubt that, kid. But if you insist, I'll go tell the boss that you'd like to speak with him, but you might not like the outcome."

"I don't care, just please let me talk to him!"

"Alright, alright. Just cool your jets, we'll go get him."

As the two of them left the room, I could hear them snickering about something. That couldn't be good. But nonetheless, I waited. Every now and then, I could hear someone pass by outside the room I was in.

Eventually, the door opened once again, this time it seemed to be only one pair of feet.

"So." A voice said. "They tell me you wanted to speak with me, now speak." The voice was obviously male, and it held a very authoritative tone.

"W-well, um, they were saying I couldn't leave here for a long time, but I was hoping that maybe if I talked to you, you might decide to let me go?" As the words spilled out of my mouth, I realized just how dumb they sounded.

"Heh…Heh heh. Judging from how you said that, you're not too sure of yourself." He said. I could practically hear him smirking. "I'll cut you a deal: I'll let you go about your business, but in return, you'll lend me your assistance whenever I require it."

"Assistance for what?" I asked warily.

"You're not in a position to be asking questions, instead, you should just take the deal, and then everyone will be happy, ya get me?" I could hear the irritation in his voice.

"I…don't have any other choices, do I?"

"Atta boy, smart choice." He said with a chuckle.

The ropes binding my hands and feet and the bag covering my head were promptly removed and for the first time, I could see my captor. Despite being indoors, he was wearing a black trench coat and fedora, and besides that all I could see was his mocking smirk.

"Welcome to the team, kid! You should probably take this for when you're on assignments."

He tossed me a small duffel bag that he had been holding. I opened it to find a uniform of some kind, complete with boots, gloves, and a hat. I was about to ask what all of this was, when I held up the shirt to get a good look at it and instantly realized exactly what this was. Stamped on the front of the black shirt was a large red 'R'.

"Heh heh, I see you've figured out who we are."

"But-but, I thought Team Rocket was disbanded ten years ago! Didn't Champion Red tear you guys apart? And then three years later, didn't Champion Gold defeat you once and for all?" My head was spinning. I had thought that these guys were gonna be small time criminals, or even just thugs, but no, my bad luck struck again and I was roped into joining Team Rocket.

"Yes, it's true we were disbanded a number of years ago, but we're making a comeback, and this time there won't be anyone to stop us. Red is…unable to stop us this time around, and Gold has taken up Red's old perch on Mt. Silver for whatever reason, leaving only the Elite Four to stop us, but even they aren't capable of such things."

"What do you mean 'Red is unable to stop you'?" I had a bad feeling about this.

"Let's just say he's busy at the moment." The man looked like he was trying his best not to burst out laughing.

I couldn't handle this. Champion Red was every kid's hero! He couldn't just be gone like that, they had to just be keeping him somewhere. Maybe…maybe I could step up to the task and defeat Team Rocket, I mean, the last two times they were beaten, it was at the hands of a ten year old who had just set out on his journey. Now, I was several years above ten, but I had just set on an adventure, so maybe it was my turn.

"Oh yeah." The man said. "I haven't properly introduced myself; the name's Giovanni, I was the leader of Team Rocket back in the day."

I had deduced that much given the fact that the two people that had been here before (grunts, I assumed) called him 'The Boss', but it was still a shock to hear those words. After all, this man had made Kanto into dying region. Crime had been rampant, almost all police officers were corrupt, and even Gym Leaders and Elite Four members had been his to command. He was truly a force to be reckoned with.

"Well, if you're not gonna say anything else, I suggest you be on your way. I don't have the time to deal punks like you, there's too much work to be done." Giovanni said.

"O-oh, um, okay. But, what about-"

"Your Pokémon and bag?" He interrupted. "You'll get your bag back on the way out. However, I'm going to keep your Pokémon as hostages for a little while, just to make sure you obey orders."

"How am I supposed to go anywhere without Pokémon!? How am I supposed to be able to make money if I can't battle other trainers?"

"Hire an escort, or get one of your friends to take you around, or better yet: Don't go in the tall grass! Isn't that what Professor Oak is always telling people? And as for money, you'll get paid after every assignment, but that's not gonna be enough for you to get by on, so I suggest you get a normal job like everyone else, ya get me?" He said with a scowl.

"I…yeah, I get ya." I said as I hung my head.

"Good, now get out."

I dejectedly walked out the door, wondering if Exeggcute and Mantyke were okay. What if I never saw them again? Would they just sit in a dark room to rot until Giovanni saw fit to give them back to me? I didn't know what to do.

I walked down the dimly lit hallway for a while, before realizing that I didn't know where I was going.

An hour and lots of frustration later, I found the exit stairs. As I walked towards it and was intercepted by a grunt, she handed me my bag without a word. I took it and walked up and out.

At the top of the stairs, I found myself in a noisy and brightly lit room. Coins were clanging, people were cursing to themselves, and there was the occasional shout of joy. A Game Corner.

I ran out the door, wondering where in the world they had taken me. Outside the Game Corner, I found myself in Celadon City. They must have used fly to get me all the way over here.

As I wondered why they would put their headquarters under the Game Corner again, I became aware of another presence lurking nearby. I whipped around, instantly seeing a man dressed in red standing with his hands behind his back and staring right back at me. And when I say he was dressed all in red, I mean it; his boots, his socks, even his slicked back hair was red! The only thing he was wearing that wasn't red was his large glasses with a peculiar stone fitted into one side.

"Are you quite ready?" He asked.

"Ready for what, and who are you?" Why was it suddenly my destiny to meet every weirdo around?

"I thought Giovanni would have informed you. But no matter, I'll explain." He said, his voice was rather monotone, but still commanded respect. "My name is Maxie, I'm the leader of Team Magma, and unfortunately, I owe Giovanni a favor."

Well, at least he got right to the point instead of drawing things out.

"But isn't Team Magma based in Hoenn?" I asked, confused.

"Indeed, we are based in Hoenn, but we now have a branch in Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh." He explained. "But let's get back to the task at hand; Giovanni has asked me to help you find a regular job as he thought you were incapable of doing so yourself."

"I find that offensive." I interjected.

"Don't blame me, I'm just delivering the message." He said. "Now, before we start looking for a job, I'd like to make you an offer; I'd like you to be my inside informant on Team Rocket's dealings. Now I know that at this point, you're not going to hear much, but I'd like you to climb the metaphorical ladder until you start hearing everything that Team Rocket does."

"Aaaaanndd why would I help you?" I asked skeptically.

"Don't you want to bring Team Rocket down? Don't you hate them? Aren't you being forced to join them against your will?"

"…I guess you've got a point there. Fine, you have yourself a deal, I'll help out. But just out of curiosity, why do you need to know what Team Rocket is up to?" I asked.

"I suppose you deserve to know. Currently, Team Rocket is only in Kanto, and I'd like to keep that way. I can't have Giovanni sending people into Hoenn and I know a few people that don't want them in Sinnoh. Unfortunately, they're already in Johto, so I can't do much about that, but we plan to drive them out of there as well eventually."

"If I may ask one more question; who is we?"

"Team Magma and Team Aqua." He answered simply.

"Are you guys finally getting along? Last time I checked, you two hated each other, and I remember hearing that a calamity struck in Hoenn a few years ago thanks to you two."

"True, we did almost destroy the human race and the world in general, but thankfully, we were thwarted and peace returned to Hoenn. We were given a chance to improve our lives and repair the damage we had done, but no matter what we did, we were still treated like criminals. So as it stands, we still have no way of turning away from a life crime, so we've decided to work together until our teams are able to stand on their own." He seemed to be getting a little worked up talking about the past.

"I…see. So, um, will I be getting paid for my services?" I asked hesitantly.

Maxie sighed. "As I've said, Team Magma is not able to stand on its own feet due to financial issues, lack of members, and so on and so forth. So I won't be able to pay you until such time as we have stabilized ourselves. So you will still have to get a normal job, but do not fret, I have connections."

Maxie turned and started walking away without giving me a chance to respond.

I think I would enjoy working for Maxie more than working for Giovanni. Maxie seemed to be a straightforward guy who explained things fully instead of giving cryptic half answers. But I don't mean I'm actually going to be happy about working for Maxie, he's still the leader of a criminal syndicate.

Gaaahh, why and how did I get mixed up in all this? I'd like to say I was calm about it, and maybe I seemed that way on the outside, but if I did, it was only because I was too shaken up to fully process the situation. I mean, in the course of a few hours, I had joined not one but two criminal syndicates! I'm pretty sure that's not okay! But I had no way out if it, there was nothing I could do about it.

What scared me the most though, was just thinking about Exeggcute and Mantyke. All alone, stored in some musty basement storage room, unable to even get out and stretch a bit. Could Pokémon starve inside their Pokéballs!? I certainly hope not, if they could, then I would be responsible for the death of two Pokémon, and I'm pretty sure that that's also not okay…Maybe the day would get better if I could just stick it out.

I called after Maxie to wait up as I ran to catch up with him, hoping that whatever 'connections' he had to get me job did not include any more crime syndicates.

A/N: LATE CHAPTER! I really have no excuse for this, I was just lazy. I've had plenty of free days, but gosh dang it! I just couldn't motivate myself to write, even while writing this chapter I kept getting sidetracked and doing other stuff. But here it is.

Like before, tell me what you thought. Was the dialogue okay? is the story moving too fast? Those kinds of things.

Thanks for Reading!